Another one of the stranger chapters in contemporary New Jersey crime history is moving closer to a conclusion.
On Wednesday, George Bratsenis of Monroe, Connecticut received a 192 month (16 year) prison sentence for serving as a hitman in a murder-for-hire plot orchestreated by a New Jersey Democrat political consultant. Bratsenis’ conspirators – Sean Caddle (the consultant) and Bomani Africa (his accomplice) – also plead guilty. Africa is already serving 20 years in prison while Caddle’s sentencing is set for June 2023 after multiple prior adjournments.
“In April of 2014, Caddle solicited Bratsenis to commit a murder on Caddle’s behalf in exchange for thousands of dollars. Bratsenis recruited Africa, a longtime accomplice from Philadelphia, to join the plot. After Bratsenis confirmed his and Africa’s interest in the job, Caddle told Bratsenis that the target was a longtime associate who had worked for Caddle on various political campaigns,” explained papers previously filed by the prosecution.
“On May 22, 2014, Bratsenis and Africa traveled from out of state to the victim’s apartment in Jersey City,” the state further explained. “After entering the apartment, Bratsenis and Africa stabbed the victim to death and then set fire to the victim’s apartment. After Caddle learned that the victim had been murdered, the following day, he met Bratsenis in the parking lot of a diner in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Caddle paid Bratsenis thousands of dollars in exchange for the murder, and Bratsenis shared a portion of those proceeds with Africa.”
Bratsenis, who would be 90 at the end of his 16-year sentence, also received an additional five years of supervised release.
